CCD Parramatta offers a variety of teaching resources to support SRE Catechists in their ministry. These resources are designed to help you effectively teach the Catholic faith to children and young people in public schools.
The task of a teacher is not simply to impart information or to provide training in skills… It is about forming the human person, equipping him or her to live life to the full, in short, it is about imparting wisdom.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Authorisation Forms & Code of Conduct
The following documents are required to successfully apply for the role of SRE Catechist and understand our expectations and code of conduct while teaching students in the Diocese. Please download and read them carefully.
Orientation
These booklets will help new SRE Catechists and Assistants to understand their role and the processes required to support the education of young people:
Christ our Light and Life Curriculum
Christ our Light and Life is a comprehensive Special Religious Education (SRE) curriculum developed by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in Australia. It is designed to provide Catholic children and young people with a systematic and engaging learning experience in the teachings of the Catholic Church. The curriculum is structured in a way that is aligned with the Australian Curriculum and caters to students from kindergarten to year 12.
Resources for Loan from CCD Parramatta
The CCD Office in Parramatta has a growing number of resources that are available to be borrowed for a two-week loan basis. These include the Big Books that support the ‘Christ our Light and Life’ curriculum, DVDs, videos, CDs, posters and a great range of music for use in the classroom.
To access these resources please contact the CCD Office.
Resources from your Parish
All parishes receive support materials for the ‘Christ our Light and Life’ program. The Resources for Lesson Planning (RLP) USB was updated in 2020 and is available for those SREs who attend & complete Level 1 training. The Catholic school in your parish is a major source of resources. Approaches have been made to all our Catholic Schools asking for their support for the work of SRE teachers in the State Schools. Please ask your Parish Coordinator for details of borrowing arrangements. Each parish holds a copy of the resource ‘Assemblies for Christmas, Easter and Education’.
Classroom Craft
Looking for ways to bring the Good News to life for students in the classroom? If you have an engaging idea for use in the classroom that you’d like to share with other SRE Catechists, we’d love to hear from you! Please email your idea, including any details of materials and methods needed to the CCD team.
Multimedia Resources
Looking for ways to bring the Good News to life for students in the classroom?
Living Spiritually
Written by Dr Peter Mudge, this book is designed for ‘hands on’ people working in the area of ‘spirituality’ including teachers and parishioners. Using his quadrivial model, Mudge writes the ‘four rivers of spiritual traditions, narratives, disciplines and virtues flow together.’
Moving from Theory to Practice
Edited by Richard Rymarz and Paul Sharkey, this book addresses important aspects of RE in the classroom including spirituality, meditation, youth ministry, liberal arts, Godly Play, teaching scripture, mercy and change.
Mercy Global Presence
Produced by the Sisters of Mercy, this website offers a range of resources on issues such as the Environment and human trafficking. Images, prayers and videos may assist you in your SRE teaching or parish work. New resources are added each month.
Tips for Teachers
Looking for a little help in teaching the Good News in the classroom? Here are a few teaching points to help you have a successful lesson:
- Planning is the key to good lessons; make your lessons interesting by making them visual. Use pictures and storybooks this keep the children’s attention.
- Use a quick craft activity to show the aim of the lesson, children enjoy the activity and can take something home to remember the aim of the lesson.
- A quick way of finding out what your class thinks is to have a class vote. Ask the children to raise their hands. Choosing activities helps the children to feel involved.
- When you need to use a loud voice to be heard, be sure to lower it again as soon as you have the class’s attention. Being firm and in control helps keep the children on track.
- At the end of the lesson ask the students to pause and look back on the lesson. Then ask one simple review question like – What is one word or phrase that you can say the lesson was about? Or which part of the lesson did you enjoy the most and why? Have students share that one point with the class. This ‘Student Evaluation’ can help the SRE teacher make an informed reflection on that class.
- SRE teachers ask themselves what went well in the lesson today and what would I do differently next time (Teacher self-reflection exercise).
Need additional support?
Get in touch with the CCD team using the form below: